Northern Michigan University's five skaters huddle during a break in the action during the game played Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, against Lake Superior State at the Berry Events Center in Marquette. The group includes, front side from left, Josh Zinger, Alex Frye and team captain AJ Vanderbeck. (Photo courtesy NMU)

MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn. — The Northern Michigan University hockey team lost ground by not gaining any after playing a series at seventh-place St. Thomas over the weekend.

The Wildcats opened with a 3-0 win Friday night in their first-ever game at the Tommies’ home in Mendota Heights, Minnesota, before falling 4-2 in the finale on Saturday night.

The split, NMU’s seventh in its past nine series, left the CCHA’s fourth- through seventh-place teams in the same position they started the weekend in. That includes sixth-place Northern.

The Wildcats remained one point ahead of St. Thomas but also still seven points behind fourth-place Bemidji State and six points in arrears to fifth-place Ferris State.

Fourth place is a crucial position as it will be the last spot for a league team to host a first-round, quarterfinal series in the CCHA Tournament that begins in early March.

The Wildcats and these other three teams near them in the standings all have four conference games remaining in the regular season. NMU hosts Ferris this weekend before finishing the regular season at third-place Bowling Green State on Feb. 24-25.

Northern (14-16 overall) has 27 points based on a 10-12 CCHA record, while St. Thomas now sits at 26 points and records of 9-19-2 and 8-12-2.

Here is a rundown of each night in Minnesota:

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NMU 3, St. Thomas 0

On Friday, Vincent de Mey scored twice for NMU, including a shorthanded tally, for his fifth and sixth goals of the season. Andre Ghantous scored the Wildcats other goal for his sixth tally.

Artem Shlaine picked up an assist, extending his point streak to four games, while David Keefer, Aiden Gallacher and Simon Kjellberg also had a single assist.

Northern goalie Beni Halasz turned aside all 29 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season.

“We started the game very well, the second period was a little chaotic, but I think the story of the game was Vincent de Mey,” NMU head coach Grant Potulny said in a game account from NMU Sports Information. “(De Mey) has had a season where he’s had a lot of chances, they just hadn’t fallen for him, but tonight he got two really important goals for us.

“And obviously, Beni got a shutout, and the penalty kill was very very good.”

Though the shots on goals were nearly even after 10 minutes, NMU’s Joey Larson had two excellent looks right on top of the crease early before Tommies’ netminder Aaron Trotter made both saves.

In addition, de Mey sprung out on a full-ice breakout pass from Simon Kjellberg behind his own goal line, according to NMU SI. De Mey split the St. Thomas defenders at the blue line and walked in on a breakaway, going backhand-forehand to beat Trotter and give the ‘Cats a 1-0 lead just before the game was nine minutes old. De Mey’s most recent goal came on Nov. 5, while Kjellberg got an assist for the second consecutive game.

NMU slowed the surging Tommies to start the second period as Northern was whistled for several penalties. Even when the Wildcats went on a power play, their defense stepped up to stop several shorthanded 2-on-1 breaks by St. Thomas.

Then as time was running down in the second period, de Mey again found himself on a breakaway and elected the backhand this time, but couldn’t elevate the puck over the outstretched pad of Trotter, according to NMU SI.

The ‘Cats were buzzing in the offensive zone with high-quality chances generated from David Keefer, Mikey Colella and Ghantous.

Then having to kill another shorthanded situation, NMU did a lot more than that when de Mey received a cross-ice pass from Artem Shlaine, and with a defender to beat, de Mey fired a wicked wrist shot over the glove hand of Trotter to extend the ‘Cats lead to two with 4:39 left in the period, according to NMU SI.

The assist meant that Shlaine extended his point streak to four games as he has six points in his last six games, too.

Then barely a minute later, another odd-man rush for Northern saw Ghantous corral a rebound from a Keefer shot as Ghantous fired the puck into the yawning cage with 3:28 to go in the period, making it 3-0.

St. Thomas changed goalies to Ethan Roberts to start the third after Trotter gave up his three goals on 17 shots on goal.

It did the trick on defense, but without scoring, the home team could make no dent in its deficit.

Halasz had to be sharp between the pipes, at one point going east to west to make a great glove save on a wide-open Tommy.

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St. Thomas 4, NMU 2

On Saturday night, the Wildcats’ comeback that started in the final minute of the second period went for naught as the Tommies scored the game-winner and an empty-net insurance marker in the final 124 seconds.

Larson and Colella scored for Northern, giving Larson nine goals and Colella five goals this season. Connor Eddy and Colby Enns each had an assist as Halasz stopped 30 of 33 shots.

Josh Eernisse was the story for St. Thomas, making it 2-0 by himself before NMU mounted its comeback. Trotter also stopped 22 of 24 shots.

Colella drew a five-minute major for roughing before the game was a minute and a half old, but it was softened when St. Thomas’ Trevor Zins drew a two-minute minor in the middle of it.

Some great pressure from Kristof Papp and AJ Vanderbeck forced a turnover at the Tommies’ blue line and they found themselves on a two-on-none shorthanded breakaway, but the puck hopped over Papp’s stick for a no-go on the score, according to NMU SI.

Eernisse broke the scoreless deadlock with 4:44 remaining in the first after a shot by Jake Brancinni landed right on the stick of Eernisse for his shot into a wide-open net.

The Wildcats tied it in the final seconds of the period, but later was ruled to have been scored off a skate due to a kicking motion. So the Tommies still had their 1-0 advantage with an 11-3 shots on goal edge in the period.

NMU had the first six shots on goal of the second, but no goal yet.

St. Thomas made it 2-0 on another Eernisse goal with 3:44 left in the second. Halasz played the puck behind his goal, but the pass missed his teammate and landed right on Eernisse stick to set that one up.

Then with 30 seconds left in the pperiod Eddy won an offensive zone draw, getting the puck to Larson, who found himself alone between the hash marks and fired it past the blocker of Trotter, according to NMU SI.

Northern, which outshot St. Thomas 14-7 in the second, carried their momentum into the third that was stopped when they went 5-on-3 shorthanded, though Halasz stood tall to keep it a one-goal game.

It paid off, as with 9:16 to go, some great forechecking from Ghantous led to a shot from the point by Enns that was perfectly deflected by Colella in front of the net and beat the goaltender to tie it up.

The ‘Cats were sent to the box for a minor penalty again, but the special teams pulled through and kept the game even with just over five minutes to go.

Moments after that penalty expired, St. Thomas’ Mack Byers streaked down the wing and Halasz had to make a sharp glove save on the dangerous chance.

Then with 2:04 remaining, the Tommies gained the zone with an odd-man rush and a trailing Ryan O’Neil got the puck and fired a shot past Halasz to give the home team the lead back.

The ‘Cats would pull Halasz to go for the tying goal, but St. Thomas scored with a tenth of a second left.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.